LTB 374/16 - CWU Exchange Mentoring Scheme : Activists Supporting Activists Reminder

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LTB 374/16 - CWU Exchange Mentoring Scheme : Activists Supporting Activists Reminder

No.374 /2016

09 June 2016



Dear Colleagues,

CWU Exchange Mentoring Scheme : Activists Supporting Activists Reminder

Calling all Women, BAME and CWU Youth Reps!

Are you quite new to your role in the CWU?
Would you like to progress within the CWU?
Do you need to understand better how the union works?
Would you like to be mentored by an experienced CWU Representative?
Mentoring is a widely recognised training and development tool that helps to assist individuals through structured and focused support and through sharing of experience and skills. Used formally and informally by many different organisations and individuals it helps to develop the potential of individuals with less experience by pairing them with individuals with much more experience. It is a proven way of increasing confidence, knowledge and networking to help open up opportunities for advancement.

In the Labour movement mentoring has been used successfully by several unions, political parties and other organisations. The CWU, as part of our programme of work around proportionality has now developed the CWU Exchange Mentoring Scheme to help develop, progress and retain newer activists.

Mentoring has proven a particularly useful tool for helping to develop and bring through under-represented groups such as BAME and Women members. At present we are restricting this project to BAME, Women and Young members. However, in the medium to long term mentoring will also be rolled out across the whole union.

We now have our own trained CWU mentors who will be available to work with new and emerging Women, BAME and under 30 activists, as they are particularly under-represented at many levels in the CWU.

If you think that being mentored could be right for you can apply to the scheme provided that you meet the following basic criteria:

That you have been a CWU activist for up to three years and that you are currently a CWU representative of any sort.
That you wish to progress and develop your role in the CWU
That you are a woman, BAME and/or under 30 years old
Places are limited so please apply to the scheme using the attached application form.

Please return this to msimpson@cwu.org by Friday 10 June 2017.

Please refer any queries regarding this LTB to Trish Lavelle, Head of Education and Training tlavelle@cwu.org

Yours sincerely,



Trish Lavelle

Head of Education & Training